Surviors conquered themselves
For
23-year-old Jose Mari Garbo and company, their training and experience
as seafarers equipped them with the necessary skills that helped them
survive the ordeal which they went through after their ferry Princess
of the Stars capsized off Sibuyan Island in Romblon last Saturday.
Garbo,
one of 10 seafarers who survived typhoon "Frank" over the weekend, was
among the 28 passengers of the ill-fated ship who were treated at the
Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) head office in South Harbor,
Manila.
"We (seamen) were more organized because we knew what to
do. We knew how to balance. There were times that the raft would be
forced to fold because it was being battered by the strong waves. We
would then put our feet on the edge of the raft to keep it from
folding," recalled Garbo of their experience in the lifeboat.
"Unlike
other passengers who jumped into the sea at a high elevation, I decided
to wait for the ship to get closer to the sea before I decided to jump
because I remembered in the movie ‘Titanic’ that some of the passengers
who jumped at a higher elevation hit the ship’s railings. It was safer
if I jumped closer to the sea," Garbo said.
Garbo shared that
whenever their raft would be filled with sea and rainwater, they would
use their shoes and plastic bags to remove the water, adding that this
was necessary so their boat would not sink.
They spent 22 hours at sea before they finally saw land.
PNRC chairman Sen. Richard Gordon commended the 10 seafarers and other survivors for their heroism.
"One by one they rescued other passengers and they helped each other get through the harrowing experience," Gordon said.
He
added that the "wounds they (survivors) sustained were caused by their
desire to survive. It was man against nature, men against themselves
and in the end they conquered themselves in order to survive," he said.
Gordon
said that despite the economic difficulty in the area, the residents
gave the stranded passengers slippers, clothes and food.
"We
took down their contact numbers. Hopefully, when we have returned home
and have money we would be able to repay them for helping us," said
Garbo.
Gordon said that he was supposed to join President Arroyo
on her trip to the United States where he would discuss the Veterans
Bill with US legislators.
But he decided to stay behind to attend to the victims of the passenger ship.
Philippine Star Headlines
Seafarers on ship: We knew what to do
By Evelyn Macairan
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
http://www.philstar.com/archives.php?aid=20080624140&type=2
